I OWE*  BROTHERS  (®OA\RANY,\ 
f>AINT  A\7CKER5,  ;r 


i'  DAYTON,  OHIO. 


KANSAS  CITY 

EFL>  u jj-il  e £J  •»  J fci-SjJ. 


NEVfYORK 


CHICAGO. 


“You  may  slight  the  work  if  you  will,  you  may  use 
seconds  or  commons  instead  of  clear  lumber,  you  may 
put  mill  finish  instead  of  hand  dressing,  you  may  cover 
defects  with  paint  and  putty,  and  you  may  succeed  in 
putting  up  a building  which  will  be  finally  received  on 
a final  examination,  and  for  which  a diploma  of  merit 
may  be  awarded  you.  But  you  have  to  live  in  that 
house,  and  the  longer  you  live  in  it  the  more  will  every 
defect  become  apparent,  the  greater  will  be  your  dis- 
comfort because  of  every  dishonesty  connected  with  its 
erection,  and  the  more  complete  will  be  your  humiliation 
and  shame.” — DR.  J.  H.  CANFIELD. 


R.  R.  DONNELLEY  A 80N8  CO.,  PRINTERS,  CHICAGO 


TV  T O thinking  man  builds  for  a day.  Permanence  in  things 
^ worth  having  at  all  is  one  of  the  chief  attainments  to 
which  every  man  bends  his  efforts.  In  nothing  is  this  value 
of  permanence  more  striking  than  in  paint.  In  early  ages 
the  use  of  paint  was  for  ornamental  purposes.  It  remained, 
however,  for  the  mechanical  experts  of  a much  later  day  to 
discover  ways  and  means  of  making  paints  not  only  orna- 
mental, but  highly  useful  in  protecting  wood,  steel,  brick, 
and  other  structural  materials  from  the  inroads  of  the 
weather,  and  at  a cost  commensurate  with  the  present  value 
of  labor. 

The  man  who  buys  a pail  of  prepared  paint  and  applies 
it  with  no  thought  as  to  the  condition  of  the  surface  or 


of  the  atmosphere  when  he  is  at  work  will  be  quite  apt 
to  be  disappointed  with  the  results  he  secures  from  it. 
A worthy  paint  is  worthy  of  a fair  price  and  of  fair  treat- 
ment. When  one  is  sick  he  consults  a doctor;  if  you 
are  in  doubt  about  how  to  use  your  paint  after  reading 
this  handbook,  consult  a painter,  or  one  having  had  experi- 
ence with  paint  and  lumber. 

This  handbook  is  not  a catalogue  or  price  list,  but, 
as  its  title  implies,  is  a book  of  suggestions  to  paint 
users  from  paint  mak-  A 

ers  of  thirty  years’ 
experience  in  the 
making,  sale,  and  use 
of  paints.  It  explains 
the  importance  of  not- 
ing the  condition  of  the 
surface  to  be  covered, 
the  atmospheric  con- 
ditions when  the  coat- 
ing is  applied,  and 
the  method  of  applica- 
tion. 


3 


Factory 


Modern 

Paints 


Paints  may  be  divided  into  three  general 
classes;  viz.,  oil  paints,  varnish  or  gum  paints, 
and  water  paints.  We  are  now  treating  of  oil 
paints;  that  is,  pigments  mixed  and  mulled  with  linseed 
oil,  and  designed  for  the  purpose  of  bettering  the  appear- 
ance of,  preserving  and  protecting,  surfaces  to  which  they 
are  applied. 

The  construction  of  a paint  that  will  withstand  the 
expansion  and  contraction  of  the  surface  (caused  by  climatic 
changes)  without  cracking  or  wrinkling,  and  at  the  same 
time  present  a smooth,  hard  outer  surface  that  will  wash 
clean  by  rainfall,  is  the  object  of  all  paint  makers.  This 
would  seem  to  the  average  paint  user  to  be  a comparatively 
easy  task,  until  he  takes  into  consideration  the  extreme  thin- 
ness of  a coat  of  paint,  and  the  immense  range  of  tempera- 
ture, from  100  or  more  degrees  Fahrenheit  in  midsummer 
down  to  20  or  more  degrees  below  zero  in  midwinter. 

Hardness  and  elasticity  being  diametrically  opposite, 
the  science  of  paint-making  is  in  combining  the  liquids  and 
solids  in  such  a way  as  to  meet  the  ever-changing  condi- 
tions without  tendency  to  crack  in  expansion;  elastic,  yet 
not  gummy  or  tacky,  allowing  soot  or  dust  to  adhere — in 
other  words,  holding  on  successfully  to  both  objects  in 
view — appearance  and  protection. 

Various  kinds  of  wood  expand  and  contract  differ- 
ently. Some  are  more  absorbent  of  moisture  than  others, 
and  under  like  conditions  of  exposure  before  paint  is 
applied,  such  woods  will  take  up  more  moisture;  for  in- 
stance, soft  poplar  versus  hard  pine.  A good  paint  prop- 
erly applied  on  a dry  surface  will  prevent  moisture  from 
being  absorbed,  yet  a good  paint  applied  on  a surface 
impregnated  with  an  excess  of  moisture  will  not  prevent 
the  sun’s  rays  from  drawing  the  moisture  outward.  A 
cemented  cistern  will  hold  water  in,  while  to  cement  a 
hole  in  the  ground  to  keep  water  out  is  quite  a different 
undertaking. 


Painting 


Painting  as  a useful  art  may  be  considered  a 
process  of  waterproofing.  Its  special  purpose  is 
to  prevent  wood,  brick,  iron,  or  steel  from  becoming  moist, 
and  therefore  the  first  duty  of  one  intending  to  paint  is  to 


5 


Stock  Room  High  Standard  Liquid  Paint: 


study  the  action  of  water  upon  these  substances,  and  how 
to  prevent  it. 

The  successful  application  of  paint,  whether  T , 

1 . Lumber 

for  decorative  or  other  purposes,  requires  a 

careful  study  and  treatment  of  the  surface  to  which  it  is 
to  be  applied.  As  nearly  all  of  our  troubles  and  com- 
plaints come  from  buildings  of  wood,  it  may  be  well  to 
go  to  the  lumber-yard  occasionally  to  investigate  modern 
methods  of  handling  and  treating  it.  It  is  not  easy  to-day 
to  get  sound,  well-seasoned — that  is,  air-dried — lumber, 
and  when  it  may  be  had  few  are  willing  to  pay  for  it, 
and  yet  it  is  possibly  better  not  to  paint  at  all  than  to 
attempt  to  protect  and  preserve  cheap  kiln-dried  or  sappy 
lumber.  Water  and  sap  are  the  main  causes  of  the  rotting 
of  wood,  and  kiln-dried  lumber,  even  when  seemingly  dry, 
may  on  a damp  day  contain  as  much  as  twenty-five  per 
cent  of  its  weight  in  water.  A coating  of  paint  on  such  a 
surface  prevents  the  moisture  from  escaping,  and  it  re- 
mains, rotting  the  wood  until  warm  sunshine  or  artificial 
heat  converts  it  into  a vapor,  which  in  order  to  get  out, 
raises  the  film  of  paint  into  blisters  or  cracks  it. 


The  Effect  of  a Non- Elastic  Coat  of  Paint  Over  an  Elastic  Coat 


Old 

Paint 


When  the  surface  to  be  painted  is  covered  with 
old  paint  it  should  be  rubbed  down  smooth  with 
wire  brushes,  or  carefully  scraped  with  a steel 
scraper,  and  then  brushed  off,  so  that  loose  particles  and 
defective  parts  are  removed.  If  the  thickness  of  the  old 
paint  is  so  great  that  to  insure  good  results  its  entire 
removal  is  necessary,  then  it  should  be  burned  off.  Right 
here  it  may  be  well  to  state  that  paint  rarely  blisters  or 


Corner  in  Advertising  Room 


The 
Brush 
to  Use 


cracks  when  applied  to  wood  from  which  old  paint  has  been 
burned  off,  probably  because  all  moisture  has  been  driven 
out  of  it  by  the  heat. 

For  heavy  work  in  house-painting,  such  as  siding 
or  weather-boarding,  the  best  brush  to  use  is  what 
is  called  a pound  brush,  i.  e.,  a full,  round  brush 
with  good  elastic  bristles  six  inches  long.  With 
one  of  them  properly  bridled,  it  is  possible  to  apply,  that  is, 
rub  out,  worthy  paint,  so  that  it  will  wear  three  times  as 
long  as  if  flowed  or  smeared  on  with  a wide  wall-brush, 
made  of  cheap  hog  hair — a tool  not  much  better  than  a 
common  whitewash  brush.  We  have  often  seen  men 
apply  good  paint  to  buildings  with  a brush  five  inches 
wide,  in  order  to  save  time.  If  one  must  use  a flat  wall- 
brush for  painting,  let  him  get  one  not  over  three  inches 
wide  and  full  or  thick  with  good  elastic  bristles.  “More 
painting  and  less  paint,’’  is  the  crying  need  to-day. 

On  new  work  before 
painting  is  begun,  all 
knots  and  sappy  places 
should  be  well  coated 
with  shellac  varnish. 
After  the  first  or 
priming  coat  has  been 
applied,  all  cracks,  nail 
holes,  etc.,  should  be 
filled  with  putty  made 
of  linseed  oil  and 
whiting. 


Priming  and 
Two 

Coat  Work 


The  materials  in  the  priming  or  first  coat 
of  paint  should  be  preservative  in  character, 
and  those  used  in  subsequent  coatings  should 
be  composed  of  materials  that  will  protect 
this  priming. 

Where  paint  is  limited  to  two  coats,  Lowe  Brothers 
Liquid  White,  or  a clean  heavy  White  Lead  mixed  with  raw 
linseed  oil,  makes  a good  primer,  for  it  not  only  dries  firmly, 
but  it  does  not  retard  the  drying  of  the  next  coat.  We  urge 
very  strongly  that  such  materials  as  yellow  ochre,  mineral, 
or  metallic  paints,  cheap  oils,  etc.,  be  carefully  avoided.  It 


9 


Chemical  Tests 


is  extremely  important  that  the  priming  coat  be  of  the  proper 
material,  especially  as  to  its  drying  and  penetrating  qualities. 
It  is  everywhere  known  that  two  coats  of  paint  on  new  work 
cannot  wear  well,  the  layer  of  paint  being  too  thin  to  offer 
satisfactory  resistance  to  atmospheric  influences.  The  first 
coat  should  be  a “primer”  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  term, 
and  the  second  should  be  a heavy-bodied,  elastic  coat;  that  is, 
a pigment  must  be  used  that  will  retain  and  protect  the 
binder. 

Given  a fair  surface  to  work  on,  it  is  always  pos- 
sible to  get  good  results  with  our  liquid  paints  when 
three  coats  are  applied.  For  the  first  or  priming 
coat  the  paint  may  be  thinned  with  about  one-half 
gallon  of  good  raw  linseed  oil  to  one  gallon  of  paint,  depend- 
ing upon  the  nature  or  condition  of  the  surface  to  be  coated 
and  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere.  For  the  second 
or  middle  coat  we  advise  the  addition  of  a little  spirits  of 
turpentine  to  the  paint  to  flatten  it,  and  for  the  third  or  last 
coat,  either  the  paint  may  be  used  as  it  is  in  the  can,  or  a 
little  raw  linseed  oil  may  be  added  if  desired. 

Since  the  Civil  War  wonderful  progress 
has  been  made  in  the  science  of  paint-mak- 
ing, until  to-day  it  is  possible  to  get  paint 
prepared  for  almost  any 


Three 

Coat 

Work 


Painters 
and  Paint- 
Making 


uniformly  well 
purpose. 

The  painter  in  this  day  and  age  should  no  more  be  called 
upon  to  mix  his  colors  or  make  his  paint  than  he  should  be 
asked  to  make  his  overalls  or  scaffolds. 

The  result  of  the  development  of  the  paint  industry 
has  been  to  advance  the  house-painter  from  a mere 
mechanic  to  the  rank  of  a business  man  who  employs 
artisans,  skillful  with  the  brush,  and  tasteful  decorators. 
The  contracting  painter  must  decide  many  intricate 
questions — how  the  building  should  be  painted,  consider- 
ing its  size,  surroundings,  the  purpose  for  which  it  is 
used  (dwelling  or  business),  weather  prevailing  while 
work  is  going  on,  the  whims  and  fancies  of  the  owner, 
frontage,  exposure  to  direct  rays  of  sun,  the  various 
materials  of  which  the  cornice,  roof,  and  walls  are  com- 
posed, in  order  to  apply  that  which  will  wear  best  on 


Mechanical  Test: 


Liquid 

House 

Paints 


each,  and  at  the  same  time  have  color  in  harmony,  select- 
ing that  class  of  work  each  journeyman  is  best  adapted 
to,  calculating  time  required  in  order  to  say  when  another 
job  can  be  commenced,  etc.,  etc.,  without  end,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  vexing  mathematical  problems  that  daily 
confront  him. 

Lowe  Brothers  High  Standard  Liquid  Paints 
as  originally  made  were  designed  to  secure 
to  the  professional  painter  better  results  than 
could  be  obtained  from  the  use  of  the  so-called 
strictly  pure  white  lead  and  strictly  pure  linseed  oil  then 
sold.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  go  into  the 
subject  of  linseed  oil 
and  white  lead  manu- 
facture. Suffice  it  to 
sav,  that  either  of  them 
may  be  pure;  that  is, 
without  any  added 
adulterant,  and  yet  be 
of  very  poor  quality  for 
house-painting.  We 
were  the  pioneer  makers  of  heavy- 
bodied liquid  paints.  We  do  not 
claim  that  our  formulae  for  making  our  liquid  paints  are 
unalterable,  but  rather  that  they  are  progressive,  and 
that  each  year  since  we  began  manufacturing  some 
change  has  been  made  in  them  after  careful  and  sys- 
tematic experiment.  The  difference  between  our  products 
and  those  of  many  others  is  not  due  to  any  secret  or  mys- 
terious process  of  manipulation  and  compounding,  but 
rather  to  the  care  and  attention  that  we  give  the  selec- 
tion of  the  materials  used,  and  also  the  mulling  and  grind- 
ing. In  this  we  are  reinforced  by  ample  capital,  the  best 
mechanical  devices  obtainable,  skilled  workmen  and 
chemists.  Lowe  Brothers  Liquid  House  Paints  are  bet- 
ter than  others  because  we  put  into  them  both  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  such  materials  as  are  necessary 
to  make  them  better,  and  because  nothing  is  put  in  to 
cheapen  them  or  weaken  the  results. 


!3 


Physical  Trsts 


Our  rests  of  raw  material  and  finished  products 


Tests 


may  be  divided  into  three  classes — chemical,  mechani- 
cal, and  physical  tests. 

In  the  selection  of  pigments  and  liquids  for  Chemjcai 
paint-making,  it  is  necessary  to  know  that  they  ,j, 
contain  no  harmful  ingredients,  no  useless  and 
well-concealed  adulterations,  and  that  they  in  no  respect  fall 
below  the  quality  and  characteristics  which  our  specifica- 
tions call  for.  We  have  competent  chemists,  a well- 
equipped  laboratory,  and  much  special  apparatus  to  give  us 
the  desired  technical  knowledge. 

Nothing  is  more  valuable  to  the  manufac-  ,,  , . , 

° Mpc  hamca 

turer  of  paints  than  the  practical  experience 

of  an  intelligent  painter.  The  working,  dry- 
ing, and  covering  qualities  of  all  our  paints  under  a variety 
ot  conditions  are  carefully  tested  and  recorded  by  skillful 
workmen  under  the  direction  of  a master  painter.  It  is  a 
fact  worthy  of  mention  that  in  all  the  years  we  have  been 
subjecting  our  house-paints  to  the  most  severe  mechanical 
tests,  while  we  have  of  course  noted  great  difference,  we 
have  never  known  the  paint  to  blister  or  peel  off.  This  is 
unquestionably  due  to  the  fact  that  each  coat  has  been 
applied  with  thought  and  care,  and  ample  time  has  been 
allowed  for  drying. 

In  some  places  architects  and  builders  are  specifying 
that  weather-boarding  shall  be  thoroughly  primed  before  it 
is  nailed  to  the  studding.  We  cannot  commend  this  prac- 
tice too  highly,  for  if  done  better  results  are  sure  to  follow. 

We  mean  by  physical  tests,  weather  tests,  or  , 

7 Physical 

the  subjecting  of  boards  and  panels  of  various  ,j, 

kinds  of  woods,  painted  with  the  stock  to  be  tested, 
to  the  destructive  forces  of  nature,  such  as  sunlight,  rain, frost, 
dew,  etc.  A moment’s  reflection  will  convince  anyone  of  the 
serious  influence  heat  and  cold  have  upon  dried  paint  through 
the  expansion  and  contraction  of  the  surface  covered.  It  is 
therefore,  necessary  to  produce  a paint  with  sufficient  elas- 
ticity to  cope  with  these  conditions.  No  changes  are  made 
in  the  formulas  for  any  of  our  colors  until  after  the  proposed 
design  has  been  subjected  to  systematic  test  for  a sufficient 
length  of  time  to  demonstrate  its  value.  We  have  a large 
museum  of  finished  tests  of  this  kind,  which  affords  an  inter- 
esting and  instructive  study  of  the  subject. 


WHY  GOOD  PAINT  SOMETIMES  FAILS 


1st.  Cheap,  poor  lumber  under  it. 

2d.  Moisture,  sap,  soot,  or  grease  under  it. 

3d.  Non-drying  pigments,  like  ochre,  metallic,  etc.,  used  in 
priming. 

4th.  Non-drying  oils,  or  oily,  fatty,  non-drying  paint  used  in 
priming. 

5th.  Flowing  on  paint  like  varnish  instead  of  rubbing 'out  well 
under  the  brush.  Well  brushed,  thin  layers  are  best. 

6th.  Insufficient  quantity  on  new  work.  Two  coats  cannot  wear 
well. 

7th.  Not  allowing  time  for  drying  between  coats. 

8th.  Excess  of  oil  in  the  under  coats,  especially  the  middle  one  in 
three-coat  work.  Under  coat,  therefore,  more  elastic  than  top  coat. 

gth.  Carelessness  or  lack  of  judgment  in  methods  of  application. 

10th.  Thinning  too  much  with  oil,  turpentine,  etc.,  to  save  labor 
and  cost  of  material. 

nth.  In  cold  weather  when  fire  is  used  for  drying  plaster,  paint- 
ing before  the  plaster  is  dry. 

THINGS  TO  REMEMBER  ABOUT  PAINTING 

1st.  A porous  surface  needs  more  oil  than  a hard  one. 

2d.  Boiled  oil  is  more  apt  to  crack  than  raw. 

3d.  Do  not  thin  paint  with  oil  or  turpentine  too  much  in  order 
to  save  elbow  grease. 

4th.  On  old  painted  work,  sometimes  the  first  coat  requires 
turpentine  to  make  it  stick. 

5th.  Turpentine  often  prevents  blistering  on  work  exposed  to 
hot  sunlight. 

6th.  In  cold  weather  a little  turpentine  is  often  necessary  in 
under  coats,  because  oil  thickens  in  cold  weather,  and  is  apt  to  dry 
too  glossy. 

7th.  Under  coats  should  dry  harder  and  more  quickly  than  those 
above  them,  forming  a firm  and  unyielding  foundation.  The  differ- 
ence in  drying  between  adjoining  coats  should  not  be  very  great.  If 
the  under  coat  dries  glossy,  succeeding  coats  will  be  apt  to  flat 
quickly,  blister,  crack,  etc. 

8th.  In  cold  weather,  do  not  paint  until  plastering  is  thoroughly 

dry. 

9th.  Never  use  cheap  japan;  the  best  only  in  cases  of  emergency. 

10th.  Good  turpentine  is  crystal  clear,  not  yellowish. 

nth.  Good  linseed  oil  is  clear,  of  pale  yellowish  color,  and 
dries  well.  If  it  is  of  greenish  color,  it  is  made  from  impure  01 
unripe  seed.  If  it  is  cloudy,  it  is  not  well  settled. 

12th.  Remember  that  to  get  good  results  with  paint  a good  brush 
is  necessary.  One  with  plenty  of  good,  stiff  bristles  in  it  will  do 
good  work,  while  a soft,  flabby  brush  cannot  do  it. 

16 


AVERT  LIBRARY 
GOIUMCIA  UNIYK 


I 


ra 

? 

»«T  LIIRAKT 

UNivwsir* 


SIDNEY  H.  SANFORD 
Warwick,  N.  Y. 


